Shravanabelagola is one of the most popular Jain pilgrimage center in South India. It is famous for the Bahubali Statue which is supposed to be the tallest monolithic stone statue in the world with a height of 58 feet carved out of a single block of granite. The Bahubali statue was carved during the period of Chamundaraya, a minister of the Ganga King Rajamalla between 982 and 983 CE.
Shravanabelagola is one of the holiest places for the Jain community attracting millions of devotees annually. The word Shravanabelagola literally means "the white pond of Shravana" in Kannada.
Location of Shravanabelagola
Shravanabelagola is in the Hassan district, Bengaluru. Shravanabelagola is one of the Jain Basadis in Karnataka. A pond and two stony hills - Indragiri and Chandragiri are located at Shravanabelagola. Several Jain Basadis are scattered around these hills. The walls of this religious institution flaunt ancient paintings.
Bahubali Statue at Shravanabelagola
The Indragiri hill is home to a 1000 year old gigantic stone statue of Bhagawan Gomateshwar Bahubali. This amazing idol is carved out of a single block of stone. The Gomateshwar temple is built on top of the hill at an altitude of 3347 feet. About 620 steps provide access to this temple from bottom of the hill. "Mahamastakabhishekam" is the main festival at Shravanabelagola. It takes place once in every 12 years. During this ceremony the idol of Bhagawan Gomateshwar Bahubali is bathed with curd, milk, saffron, ghee and gold coins.
Attractions at Shravanabelagola
Shravanabelagola is truly a religious as well as an interesting historical site. A traveller can also check out the neighbouring areas of Jain Tirthankara Basadi, Siddhara Basadi, Chennanna Basadi and Odegal Basadi. Another star attraction of Shravanabelagola is the Tyagada Brahma Pillar. Its floral designs and fine engravings are worth visiting. A number of Jain Basadis here dates back to Hoysala times. The ancient Bhattaraka Math is located at Shravanabelagola. This Jain Math belongs to the Desiya Gana descent. There are also many ancient monuments in and around Shravanabelagola. The finest monuments are found in two sacred hills, Indragiri and Chandragiri.
There are over 500 inscriptions at Shravanabelagola. Most of the inscriptions at Chandragiri belong to the 10th Century. These are written in Sanskrit, Tamil, Kannada, Mahajani and Marathi languages. While some of these are written by Jain sages and Tirthankaras, the others have been noted down by common men.
Visiting Information of Shravanabelagola
Train services are available from Hassan to reach Shravanabelagola. From Halebidu, Belur, Hassan and Bengaluru this place is accessible by road too. Flights fly to and fro from Bengaluru to Shravanabelagola.
